HINTS ON TRANSPLANTING. 



219 



ter of trees, has conducted some experi- 

 ments, suggested by us, with a view to ar- 

 rive at some satisfactory conclusions upon 

 this subject, based upon practical data. 



In 1846, he planted, in an orchard upon 

 good mellow wheat soil, ISO apple trees. 

 They were received from the nursery in the 

 usual condition — that is, with the roots in 

 fair order' — but of course, like all nursery 

 trees, somewhat shortened by the spade in 

 digging. 



They were all carefully planted in well 

 prepared holes. Before planting, one-half 

 of their number had their tops shortened 

 back, so as to leave only one bud of the 

 previous season's wood. The others were 

 planted in the usual way, with their heads 

 entire. The season was, on the Avhole, 

 quite favorable. Of the ninety trees that 

 had their heads pruned at the time of plant- 

 ing, only two died, and they nearly all made 

 fine shoots — many of the latter, eighteen 

 inches long. Of those that were planted 

 with their heads entire, eight died ; and 

 though the rest started into healthy foliage, 

 yet some of them lost the ends of their 

 branches, few or none of them made shoots 

 exceeding six inches in length, and not one 

 of them had the deep green and luxuriant 

 appearance at the end of the season, which 

 the other half of the orchard presented. 

 This, the second year's growth, is scarcely 

 less markedly in favor of the pruned trees. 

 They have now, not only larger and finer 

 heads than those left untouched, but their 

 heads are decidedly better shaped, and they 

 are more luxuriant and promising in their 

 general aspect. 



The second experiment was tried this 

 spring, on a small orchard of 78 peach trees. 

 The trees were of pretty large size, being 

 three years old from the bud. The site is 

 a warm dry southern slope of a hill. One 

 half the trees were headed back so much 



as to reduce their whole heads one-half, 

 taking ofT the better part of two years' 

 growth : the remainder were planted with- 

 out any reduction of the top. 



The season being drier than the last, the 

 difference is more strongly in favor of the 

 pruned trees than in the first experiment. 

 Only one tree died of the thirty-nine that 

 were so severely headed back, and the re- 

 maining thirty-eight have made fine bushy 

 heads of new shoots. Twelve died of the 

 thirty-nine not pruned, and of the remain- 

 der many have lost parts or the whole of 

 the upper portion of their branches. 



It would appear, from these experiments, 

 that by pruning off a part of the head of a 

 transplanted tree, not only is the natural 

 balance restored, and too great a drain 

 ~upon the roots prevented, but that a stimu- 

 lus is given to the vital action, which re- 

 sults in the production of stronger and 

 more luxuriant shoots than would other- 

 wise have been produced. All the juices 

 of the plant are necessarily expended in 

 the growth of a few buds, instead of many 

 — and a few strong and healthy shoots 

 start out, instead of many feeble ones. The 

 advantage holds good for more than one 

 season, for as the sap flows more freely 

 through the large sap-vessels of a thrifty 

 shoot, than through the small and com- 

 pressed sap-vessels of a feeble shoot, it fol- 

 lows, that the pruned tree, with its luxu- 

 riant young growth, will be in a much bet- 

 ter condition to conduct the circulation of 

 the juices which impel the growth of the 

 plant in the coming spring, than the other, 

 which has only short and stunted branches. 



We have had a good illustration of this 

 effect of pruning upon the vital action of a 

 newly planted tree, in our own garden the 

 present season. In removing an Osage 

 Orange tree, about twelve feet high, with 

 the trunk of the thickness of a man's arm, 



